By Prensa Latina
Santiago de Chile (Chile) : At least 53 persons remained trapped Thursday in southern Chile’s Araucania province following the eruption of the Llaima volcano, authorities reported.
Carmen Fernandez, director of the National Emergency Board, said army helicopters have been called in to airlift those trapped in the area surrounded by lava and ashes in Tuesday’s eruption.
Access by road to the region has been blocked because the overflowing Captren river has flooded the entire stretch of the highway around the Conquillo National Park close to the volcano, she said.
Fernandez said 150 people, including 142 tourists, have been moved to safe places.
TV images showed strong spirals of smoke and lava arising from the crater and dozens of residents fleeing their homes.
Llaima, some 700 km southeast of capital Santiago, is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Chile. The volcano which had two devastating eruptions in 1950 and 1994 had shown increased activities all through 2007.